Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Whitehall Lane from Napa Valley, California. Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot This Cabernet Sauvignon is an appealing blend of lush fruit with aromas of cherry, currant and spicy oak. The wine has rich texture and flavors of blackberry, plum and cherry. With ample fruit, good weight in the mid-palate and velvety tannins, this beautifully balanced wine is ready to enjoy now, but with aging potential to 2012.

Red Wine by Robert Craig Cellars from Napa Valley, California. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot Expansive ripe black cherry and currant aromas, with spice, black tea and violet notes. Bright and abundant dark fruit flavors and black currant liqueur are intertwined with sweet spice box, licorice and violets. Opulent black cherry drives the lively, long-lived finish. A rich, multi-layered Cabernet that balances power with finesse. The 2005 Affinity marries the power and richness of Napa Valley hillside Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot for a complex, supple and stylish Bordeaux-blend, backed by silky, ripe tannins. Luscious fruit flavors of great depth and purity are hallmarks of Affinity together with integrated tannin structure for long-term aging.

Red Wine by Arrowood from Sonoma County, California. Blend: 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.2% Merlot, 1.6% Malbec, 1.3% Petit Verdot For vineyards, this Cabernet combines Arrowood's favorite bench, hillside and mountain sites (many organically farmed) in Sonoma, Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. By blending lots from a variety of sources, Richard Arrowood is able to capture the character of the vintage and the essence of Sonoma County Cabernet. The color is deep and youthful. The nose is a mix of ripe dark fruits, cassis, sandalwood and violets. The palate is rich and mouth-coating with tannins that are clearly present, yet beautifully integrated. This is a delicious, full-bodied Cabernet that will bring great pleasure over the next decade.

Red Wine by Geyser Peak from Sonoma County, California. Big, bold and rich are the operative words to describe this wine. From its inky, totally opaque red hue to the vibrant, ripe fruit aromas, the wine promises intensity and style. Blackberry and cherry aromas mingle with notes of sweet vanilla; these lead in to a focused, juicy palate of structure and depth. The intense fruit carries through to the finish, when chewy tannins come to the fore and linger with fruit on a lasting finish. Individual, high-quality batches of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from steep hillside vineyards in Alexander Valley and an incredibly rocky site in Knights Valley form the core of this wine's character. Each batch was fermented separately in small lots. After racking off lees, the resultant wines from the vineyard selections were further selected on quality and style, to produce the final Reserve Cabernet blend. The blend was then matured a further 12 months in a combination of new and used American oak barrels to integrate both the vineyard and oak components. The wine has not been fined or final filtered.

Red Wine by Robert Mondavi from Napa Valley, California. Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot The 2004 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is a luxurious wine that captivates the eye with hues of deep blue and purple. Vivid aromas unfold with layers of blueberry, blackberry and black currant, complemented by hints of cocoa, vanilla, spice, cedar and exotic black tea. The big, juicy structure frames rich, generous flavors. Powerful and mouthfilling yet tightly knit, this youthful beauty will blossom with age. A classy wine that's rich and intense, with a concentrated mix of mineral, currant, blackberry, dusty herb and cedary oak flavors. Though deep and well-structured, this maintains a sense of elegance and grace, making it a good choice for near- and mid-term cellaring. Best from 2008 through 2014. Wine Spectator 93 Points

Red Wine by Benziger from Sonoma County, California. Each year, Benziger selects the best blocks from the best vineyards to be included in the reserve program, which are then kept separate through the winemaking process until being selected, barrel by barrel, for the final blend. The reserve Cabernet is typically sourced from the Ash Creek and Pusich Vineyards in the Alexander Valley. This is a big wine with intense ripe berry aromas and rich mouthfeel with a texture enhanced by creamy fruit and soft tannins.

Red Wine by Ferrari Carano from Sonoma County, California. Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot The fruit for the 2005 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon comes primarily from mountain-grown fruit in Alexander Valley. Fog drifts over the tops of the coastal mountains and burns off quickly in the morning sunshine, resulting in a warm climate with almost full sun throughout the day - ideal conditions for their Cabernet Sauvignon mountain vineyards. This is a powerful wine with great finesse. It boasts aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and black tea complemented by elements of earth and licorice. Ripe black fruit, currants, toffee and caramel flavors give this wine a sweet mid-palate, excellent depth, showy tannins, and a pure, classic Cabernet finish.

Red Wine by Geyser Peak from Sonoma County, California. Individual lots of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from select hillside vineyards, primarily from the central and Northern, warmer areas of the valley, form the core of this wine's character. Limited in production, this wine exhibits the hallmarks of classic Alexander Valley Cabernet. Richly colored, this powerful wine shows heady aromas of blackberry and blueberry fruit, as well as sweet vanillin oak and a hint of mint. Rich and decadent on the palate, the wine's power cedes to a pleasing, underlying elegance, both voluptuous and tannic at the same time. Flavors of blueberry and black cherry are underlain by a fine seam of acidity, which mingles with tannins and fruit on a persistent finish.

Red Wine by Cuvaison from Napa Valley, California. Color: Black cherry red Aroma: Cassis, black cherry, blackberry, licorice and persimmon Taste: Dense cherry and black cherry fruit with hints of chocolate and plum. A blockbuster, mountain grown Cabernet, bursting with fresh fruit and ripe, mouth-coating tannins

Red Wine by Hess from Napa Valley, California. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc The aroma is concentrated and expresses vanilla, brown sugar and mint. On the palate the wine reveals flavors of boysenberry and espresso richly framed with ripe mountain tannins.

Red Wine by Los Vascos from Chile, South America. Le Dix, meaning 10 in French, was introduced in 1996 to celebrate Domaine Barons de Rothschild's first ten years in Chile. It is only produced in extraordinary vintage years. Le Dix de Los Vascos is grown in the exceptional vineyard, called El Fraile, which means the monk, the oldest planted vineyard at Los Vascos and the original vineyard on the estate. The vineyard is 100% planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and many parcels of the vineyard have vines reaching 80 years in age. The vineyard is fairly large, covering some 200 acres, Le Dix is produced from severely reduced yields from El Fraille (the best) combined with the most rigorous cuvee selection - the resulting wine is of world class stature. Le Dix 2002 is of a deep intense ruby color with an elegant nose full of black cherries within a nice background of black fruits and oak. It is succulent in the mouth with live crispy tannins and vibrant fruit. It is pleasantly long while also full bodied and fresh. It is ready to drink now but will age well for some eight to ten years.

Red Wine by J. Lohr from Napa Valley, California. The 2003 J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has dark red color with excellent depth. The aroma is dominated by cherry and currant fruit with hints of vanilla and spice coming from the well-seasoned oak. On the palate, the fruit is again dominant from the front to rear palate. The tannins are soft, but complement the full palate and add substance to the finish and length of the wine. The high ratio of Petit Verdot fruit enhances the wine's breadth but also ensures that it ages well for the next 15 years. In its youth, a braised meat dish will complement the wine's sweet fruit character, and it will pair equally well with your favorite steak.